Vehicle Safety: Everyone's Responsibility Tagged With: auto, auto, sedan, sut, SUV, truck, van, vehicle These are not my memories of growing up. My cousins and I used to… Most of us can look back and notice how different things were when we were growing up than they are now. We live in a prudent world filled with negligence lawsuits, stricter regulations for manufacturers, and precautionary recalls. Seat belt laws are common. Diving boards have been outlawed in several states. In some states, children must now be strapped into child car seats until they are seven years old. These are not my memories of growing up. My cousins and I used to bounce around in the back of my grandfather's pickup truck as he cruised the dirt roads in the summer. Our playground equipment consisted of 180 cm high monkey bars and climbing frames on gravel and dirt. We never had seat belts in the back seats and never heard of airbags. Vehicle safety in the late 1970s was little more than good advice to never buy a Pinto because they “explode when you get pulled over.” Things are much different now. New Hampshire is the only state in the US that does not enforce a primary or secondary seat belt law (primary seat belt laws allow drivers to be pulled over and ticketed for no offense other than not wearing a seat belt, and secondary seat belt laws require that the driver can only be pulled over for another offense like speeding, but then can get a second ticket if he's not wearing a seat belt). Seat belt laws, along with child restraint laws and laws restricting passengers from riding in the cargo area of pickup trucks, have gained support in recent decades because they appear to reduce the number of traffic fatalities.
Thirty-one states currently have restrictions on driving in pickup beds, and all fifty states plus the District of Columbia have child restraint laws. Logically, it makes sense that "seat belts save lives" - one of the many catchy slogans we've heard reminding us over the years, "Click it or ticket." And it is important that people take some responsibility for their own safety. While automakers are gradually increasing the safety of their vehicles by adding side airbags, rear-mounted cameras, and retractable roll bars on convertibles, it's not just up to the manufacturer to keep us safe. Even in a vehicle designed to perform well in an accident, it is up to individual drivers to avoid those accidents in the first place. Longer commute times and urban sprawl have led to more time behind the wheel, which in turn has created commuters' desire to multitask while driving. We talk on the phone, eat, even read while sitting in the driver's seat driving a vehicle weighing over two tons. There are few tasks we do during the day that put us at greater risk of injuring or killing another human being than driving. With Taco Bell reporting that 70% of its business comes through the drive-thru window, there are plenty of people who split their attention between signaling a lane change and making sure their burrito doesn't end up in their lap. it forces manufacturers to develop better safety features for their vehicles, it also tries to force us drivers to protect ourselves and our passengers in our cars. But even airbags and seat belts cannot save every life. Most importantly, it is up to us to reduce distractions and drive safely.
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